


Ice Cream Break

by Yuni30



Series: Nymph Hugs [14]
Category: Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch (Video Game)
Genre: Big brother Swaine, Break Time, Brother-Sister Relationships, Brotherly Affection, Flowers, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, Ice Cream, Ice Cream break, Plans For The Future, Rest and relaxation, paper flowers, taking a break
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-23
Updated: 2018-05-23
Packaged: 2019-05-12 23:39:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,657
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14737985
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yuni30/pseuds/Yuni30
Summary: With the search for Nazcaa looming overhead right after the white ash incident, nerves are understandably frayed. It's time for a break- time to stop and breathe for just a moment before jumping in to save the world...again.(This work can also be found as a drabble chapter for "Nymph Hugs" over on Fanfiction.net along with its sibling works.)





	Ice Cream Break

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Like A Brother](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/383183) by Wherever Girl. 



> Gasp! I'm back? With another drabble for this fic? Wasn't that the last one earlier?
> 
> Okay, probably not many are actually asking that, but in the event that you were: yes. Yes, that was supposed to be the last one, but after regaining a bit of my fire I found I had two more in me. This one's inspired by a picture of Swaine giving Pea a piggyback ride.
> 
> In any case, on with the show~!
> 
> Disclaimer: I own ice cream. It's not flavored by the rights of the game. Therefore, I do not own the rights to the game. Go eat some ice cream- even if it's just frozen juice.

It seemed like everything was moving at quite a rush. The fight to save the three kingdoms from the white ash had been difficult, long, and exhausting. The group had hardly any time to just sit and rest, save for viewing the memories contained in the flowers Pea found.

Now it was on to Nazcaa, wherever that was. Pea knew, so it wouldn't be hard to find. That wasn't the issue, though. It was the sheer amount of stress that weighed on everyone. It was the rush to save the world… _again_. Eventually, someone was going to snap out of sheer exhaustion if they didn't stop to breathe a little.

At least, those were the thoughts that ran through the thief's mind as he leaned against the wall of the captain's quarters. He called out the largest familiar in his party, Squishy- a giant furry snow beast from the winter isles. He hadn't been treating the yeti to any treats for all its hard work, he realized guiltily. Now was better than ever.

It nuzzled his torso affectionately after he fed it ice cream. "There's a good boy," he cooed softly, petting the big fluffy pushover lovingly. He didn't notice the little queen running toward him.

"Ice cream! Ice cream," she shouted, giggling afterward. She looked up at Swaine, smiling. "Can I have some ice cream?"

For a moment the thief hesitated. Squishy looked at her curiously as its master rubbed the back of his head. Sighing, he called the large familiar back and regretfully looked down at Pea. "Sorry, Pea. That was the last of it," he informed, shrugging.

"Aw…," she whined. She slowly looked down. "I wanted some ice cream…," she complained. "Now it's all gone. All gone."

Swaine looked out to the horizon next to him. He sighed and shook his head before looking back at the child in front of him. "I'm really sorry Pea," he softly apologized. He looked back at the rest of the ship. Esther and Oliver were talking with Marcassin about the upcoming search it seemed.

That's all they ever talked about any more since that whole mess started- how to fix it. Didn't anyone talk about anything else? What about after everything had blown over- if it blew over? At this rate, the chances of them facing this mysterious foe and winning wouldn't be all too high, especially right after what they had just faced.

It was clear- they needed a break from it all. Then there was Pea, little Pea asking for something as simple as ice cream. He snapped his fingers with a wide smile. That was it. He knelt down to the young queen. "I have an idea. We can all get ice cream," he whispered.

Her face brightened up and she giggled. "Really?"

"Yeah, just go tell Oliver and the others to meet me over here, and we'll all go get some, alright," he instructed her kindly. He saw her smile and nod before running off to the other four.

He stood and continued to lean against the wall of the cabin as he observed them. They all seemed confused when they looked back at the rogue. Eventually, they started to walk toward him, Pea leading them all.

"Swaine," Esther began to chastise. "Ice cream? Really? At a time like this," she groaned, rubbing her forehead.

"She has a point, brother. We are in the middle of a crisis," Marcassin began, obviously expecting more from the eldest prince of Hamelin. "We can't just stop and _get ice cream_."

"Yes, we can. Have you seen you lot? You're all a bundle of nerves," he observed simply. He smirked at the group. "If we all go to save the world without a moments peace of mind now, we're bound to fail," he explained with a raised eyebrow.

"Swaine," Oliver began to protest. "We don't have much of a choice. We have no time to lose. We don't know if the white ash will fall again…"

"The ash won't fall again," Pea announced. She turned to face the group. "We can still find smelly old Nazcaa," she began to argue. "But Pea wants ice cream."

"But, Pea… Are you sure," the young wizard asked.

"She wants ice cream," the thief interjected. "Maybe she wants us to take a break, too… is that right Pea?" He looked down and smiled at the girl. He could only guess, but considering her pattern, the young queen had reasons for everything.

She nodded up at the thief, giggling again.

"Hey, don't plant ideas in her head," Esther warned, pointing at Swaine, glaring at him as she stomped forward.

Pea shook her head and looked back at Esther. "No, Pea wants a break, too. And ice cream," she reinforced.

There was a collective sigh from the group as they looked at the two. Pea casually walked up to Swaine's side and took his hand. "We can get ice cream! Ice cream for everyone," she cheered. She looked up at the thief who chuckled in response to her enthusiasm.

"Yeah, let's go get some ice cream," he calmly encouraged.

"I guess we ent got a choice, do we? There's pushy," the fairy commented, crossing his small arms huffily.

"Perhaps Gascon does have a point, we have been on edge lately. A small break shouldn't hurt us too much," Marcassin reasoned as he put his hand to his chin. "I dare say it might make us more efficient in our pursuits."

Oliver finally nodded in agreement. "We have been kind of going non-stop since this all started." He smiled and nodded. "So, anyone know a good place to get ice cream," he wondered.

Esther raised her hand eagerly. "There's a place in Al Mamoon," she cheered. "They sell all sorts of ice cream there!" Her demeanor broke when she heard Swaine snicker. "What," she growled.

"Oh, nothing, Esther. You just really seem excited about ice cream all of a sudden," he noted, amused at her sudden change of attitude.

She rolled her eyes. "Must you be so… Ugh," she groaned irritably. The thief had a way of pressing all the wrong buttons.

The young wizard nodded affirmatively, took out his wizard's companion, and began to cast travel. "Let's go," he shouted as they disappeared.

~*~*~

They stood in front of the stand ordering ice cream. Esther decided on a ruby ripple cone, Oliver a babana split, and Drippy had vanilla with sprinkles.

"Real tidy this is," the fairy claimed as he began to devour the frozen treat.

The thief couldn't help but smirk as he watched them all dive into their own specific order of ice cream. He turned to Pea who patiently waited for the others. "What would you like, Pea," he requested, crouching to her level.

She giggled and swiveled back and forth in place. "Vanilla." She grinned at him.

"One vanilla? Got it." He stood to order, facing the ice cream merchant. He felt a tug on his jacket and looked down at the green haired girl. She held two fingers up at him.

"Two scoops," she demanded through a smile.

"Oh," Swaine questioned, raising both eyebrows. "Can you eat that many," he jested, holding a hand out to the street.

"Pea can eat a lot of ice cream," she argued, defiantly pouting. She crossed her arms as she glared up at the man.

He feigned shock, stepping back from her. He shook his head and he couldn't help but laugh. He found her little fit adorable. "Okay, keep your hair on." He turned to the merchant and made the order, exchanging the guilders from his ration of cash.

The merchant handed him a cone with two scoops of vanilla, as promised, in a sheet of paper. He handed it to Pea. "One vanilla ice cream cone with two scoops," he announced. "Just for you, Queen Pea."

She smiled and began to eat the ice cream. She looked up at the former prince and thanked him for the ice cream.

"So," Oliver began as he watched the Swaine order his. "What are you guys going to do after this is all over?"

For a moment the others stopped eating their cold treats to think. Esther was the first to pipe up.

"I'm probably going to open a biiiig farm for familiars! Then people can come and adopt them as pets," she announced. "I think it would be so exciting," she fantasized before taking another bite out of the side of the cone. "What about you, Oliver," she wondered with her mouth still full. She swallowed. "Do you have any plans?"

Oliver looked down at the remainder of his babana split in thought. "I dunno. Probably just keep going to school…," he guessed, realizing he had spent most of his summer saving the world. "But then I also want to help Phil build the world's fastest car!" He looked up at the sky, a determined look on his face.

Marcassin, who had paused from eating his toadstool sundae looked up. "'Car'? You mean those machines people were riding in in your world, Oliver?"

"Yeah. Those! We'll build the fastest car in the world! It'll be really neat-o," he enthusiastically cheered.

"Too bad no one can see us. I'd love to help," Swaine stated as he leaned against the wall. He took a bite off the scoop on top.

Oliver awkwardly scratched the back of his head. "Umm… Yeah… Sorry, guys," he began, looking between the two brothers. "It's kind of me and Phil's thing, y'know." He shrugged and quickly took another scoop of the split.

"I get it." The thief nodded empathetically. He recalled the same feeling he had when he and Marcassin built the model hog tank. It was something just between them.

"What about you, Swaine," Oliver asked, tilting his head to look the man in question.

The thief stopped eating his ice cream cone for a second. "Not sure… Might go and travel around some more," he thought aloud as he idly turned the cone in his hand. He scoffed and smirked at Oliver. "Then again, maybe I'll settle down somewhere. You lot have managed to give me enough excitement to last me for _ten_ lifetimes!" He chuckled as he took a bite out of the side of his ice cream cone. "Perhaps… I might just go back to Hamelin," he suggested after he swallowed. This caught his brother's attention.

"Would you," the sage hesitantly wondered, looking up at his brother. "What would you do, brother?"

The thief shrugged, mouth full. "Who knows," he said through his chewing.

The group was silent as they each finished their individual orders of ice cream.

"What does Pea want to do after we save the world," Oliver asked, looking at Pea who had managed to eat most of the cone and had just put the last of it in her mouth.

Pea looked up at the young wizard curiously. "Flowers! I want to fill the world with flowers," she cried happily.

"…Flowers," the boy questioned, confused. "Like the flowers you've been finding, Pea?"

She nodded and spread her arms out over her head. "So many lovely flowers, Oliver! I want them everywhere!"

With that thought in mind, the thief looked at the paper left over from the cone. It would be a long time until she could do that. He set himself to work, attempting at a temporary solution.

"That sounds nice, Pea," the blonde complimented. "I hope we can help."

Finally finished with the task he had set himself to, Swaine caught their attention. "I might have something," he hinted. He held out a paper flower- a lotus.

The group marveled at it curiously. The thief was full of surprises, they found. Even his brother was shocked to see this unprecedented development.

"When did you-," Marcassin began, eyes wide. "I don't remember you mastering paper crafts, Gascon."

Swaine rolled his eyes. "You know these hands didn't become nimble just by tinkering and thieving, don't you? I kind of went through a phase, if that's what you want to call it." He sighed exasperatedly. This was why some talents went unnoticed- it sometimes meant bringing up the past.

Dodging their curious questions, he turned and presented the flower to Pea. "For you, Pea," he graciously offered. "Until you can achieve that dream, anyway."

She giggled and took the flower, admiring it. "Silly bean! I meant real flowers," she complained, though grateful for his gift. "Thank you, bean man."

"I'm not a bean," he corrected, standing back up. He put his hands on his hips and raised an eyebrow at her new name for him.

"You are, too! You're a silly bean," she shot back.

"Am not," he returned, crossing his arms. He looked away from the little girl in a mock huff.

"Are too. Silly bean," she continued, swaying back and forth. "You're a tall silly bean!"

"Is this because I called you 'Bean' the first time we met," he curiously wondered, feigning annoyance as he turned back to face her. He loved messing with her out of good fun. It was like having a little sister.

She nodded. "Mm-hmm!" She pointed up at him with one hand. "Silly bean!"

He finally gave and chuckled. "Fine… I'm a 'silly bean'." He smiled down at the young queen and ruffled her hair. "And you're a silly Pea," he retorted.

She laughed, smiling joyously. She held the paper flower close to her chest, almost treasuring it. "It's not real, but it's still pretty," she admired it, holding it up to the light.

"Well, I'm glad you like it, Pea." He couldn't help but smile fondly at the child. It felt good to have someone admire his handiwork now and again. It felt good to be appreciated.

"They seem to get along well," Esther observed, watching as Swaine joked and played along with whatever Pea had in mind. "I guess Swaine really does have a soft side."

Marcassin nodded next to her, smiling at the sight of the thief making another flower for her, this time showing her the process. She seemed enthralled with each fold he made. "Indeed. He has had practice, after all, in the affairs of looking after a younger sibling." He laughed when he saw Pea take the new flower from Swaine, comparing it with its predecessor. "I'm glad to see that part of him is still alive and well."

Oliver shrugged and looked at the sage. "I guess we've all changed, haven't we?"

"Well after a journey like this one, I doubt any of us could stay the same," Swaine noted, smirking.

"Oi, he's right! It just ent possible, mun! You'd have to be a fairy to get through all this without it affecting ya," Drippy agreed from his place below everyone. "Even there's a stretch."

The thief, the harpist, the wizard, the sage and the queen all nodded in agreement. "After this, so much will change, won't it," Oliver wondered.

"Well, not if we don't get moving," the rugged man indicated. "If you lot are ready to get started again, I'm all for it." He leaned against a wall, eying the group.

"Now look who's in a rush," Esther argued, pointing at Swaine accusingly.

"Hey… we just stopped to get ice cream, remember? There's still a powerful being out there ready to wreak havoc on us at a moment's notice," the thief reminded them, closing one eye.

The sage nodded in agreement. "Yes, we've had our break. It's time we continue our search."

The two kids nodded at the ruler. Oliver turned to Pea. "Ready to find Nazcaa," he inquired encouragingly.

The child nodded energetically with a confident smile. "Let's find Nazcaa!"

Their break was over, then. It was off to Nazcaa shortly after that brief moment of peace and relaxation. It was off to find Cassiopeia and save the world. The rush continued on, but everyone with steadier focus.

**Author's Note:**

> Ah, yes. The end of another drabble… Short one this time. I like the idea of Swaine acting like an older brother. Despite his profession, it fits his character surprisingly well.
> 
> In any case, the next drabble is a reworked idea I originally had for an epilogue for my other Ni No Kuni fic, _[Fit For A King](https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12917732/1/Fit-For-A-King)_. If you want to read that, knock yourself out. I warn you, though, it might not be all that you expect. I decided to go ahead and make the next drabble a separate thing from that. It'll be based on an idea that I and [moonbird](https://www.fanfiction.net/u/1576308/) have been tossing around… Because I like putting this thief through hell.


End file.
